


Face Value

by CampionSayn



Category: Legion of Super Heroes - All Media Types, Legion of Super-Heroes (Cartoons)
Genre: Animal Death, Animal Instincts, Gen, mentions of prejudice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-08-29 14:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8494222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CampionSayn/pseuds/CampionSayn
Summary: "Are you frightened of me, Tinya?"





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PatrickArch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PatrickArch/gifts).



_"Are you frightened of me, Tinya?"_

_An outward appearance of composed coldness that only soft as satin brushed marble could exude. An inward emotion of standing outside of the body in the agony of a choice that is in all ways and manners obvious, but not at all meant to be acknowledged and then ignored. An exercise in choice._

_This choice._

Tinya found it in herself to conquer her revulsion of the situation in and of itself and stepped directly over the dead carcass of the animal Brin had apparently found out in the vast forest; he'd been unable to conquer his need.

He'd paid for it in the way that he'd taken in full bites of the animal's flesh _(perhaps it had been a herbivore that had died of natural causes or had been attacked and fled; either way it was too corroded with decay to be sure)_ and then been unable to keep it to himself. Aside from the black that must have been blood once and was covering him from the mouth and down to his arms, there was also regurgitated flesh and bile that made Brin stink.

"I'm here, so the answer to that should be plain and obvious," she replied, the arrogance she'd struggled with considerably over the years to temper into humility coming through as though it were devolving back into needless pride and snobbery; scared and cold and taking her to crouch down three feet across from… _the mutant–no, stop it!–_ …the not-quite-human that remained hunched over, head held in his _(much too big with too sharp claws)_ hands, under some sort of fern tree. She could see one gold eye and tried to pretend he wasn't judging how she pressed one hand over her mouth and nose, "I came to see where the noise was coming from."

She kept her seat when his hands dropped down in front of him and could see the prickles of her skin rise in what was, doubtless, the knowing of being powerless– _or nearly so_ –in the face of something stronger. She could run away, or phase out if he took the time to reach out and try to strike her across her covered face.

"Do you think I am going to hurt you?"

Tinya breathed out, the breath causing a stream of white in the chilly air. Her grey eyes shifting from his open face, to the stinking vomit across from him and then over to the body of the dead he couldn't keep away from.

She shrugged, her answer muffled but still as clear as she could make it.

"No, but… I can't exactly take you at face value right now, can I?"

Honesty. He could always count on her for that, at least.

He let out what could have been a too deep growl, or a disguised bout of humorless laughter, "No, I suppose not."

"Can you stand up now, or shall I carry you back like...what was it, again...Snow White or Cinderella?"

"I think you mean the Beast's Beauty," he answered back, sighing and trying to stand up without getting dizzy.

Or falling back unto blood lust, such as it was not even an hour previous.

"Hm, maybe."

**Author's Note:**

> A filling of a Tumblr prompt from PatrickArch based on their Challenged fic.


End file.
